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Jedi Order
"First comes the day Then comes the night. After the darkness Shines through the light. The difference, they say, Is only made right By the resolving of gray Through refined Jedi sight." ―Journal of the Whills, 7:477 The Jedi Order, often referred to as the Holy Order of the Jedi Knights, is an ancient monastic peacekeeping organization unified by its belief and observance of the Force, beit the Light or Dark Sides. The Order had once controlled over a region of space referred to as the Tython Union, the first, and only 'Jedi Republic' and governed it for over 730 years. When the Republic was formed in 21K.400 BTC or 14K.969 CE, the Order joined it as its' new found guardians and protectors, both in peacetime and in wartime. Led by a series of Jedi Councils, the Order grew over the millennia despite facing numerous trails, most of which were schisms that often erupted due to increasingly conflicting interpretations of the Force, which eventually erupted into the Great Schism. Over the course of the Great Schism, numerous Jedis broke away from the original Order due to these difference in how they believed the Force should be wielded, added with this was the increasing fanatism within more traditional elements of the Order which eventually sparked a century's long schism known to history as the Hundred-Year Darkness, which ended with both Dark Jedis and Fanatic Jedis killed off, ensuring that the moderates of the Order continue to control the Order While not nearly as affected by the Imperium rise as a power, it still was affected by it. Over the course of six thousand years, several more schisms occurred, one of the most influential of these was the Exar Kun War, that severely weakened the Order. And with the Mandalorian Wars erupting shortly thereafter and split it into two camps, those who wish to be involved and defend the Republic, what would become the Revanchists, and those who desired to be uninvolved. This divide between the two, along with the general feeling of the Republic failings in handling the Mandalorians turned these Revanchists into supporters of the Imperium's autocracy. Barely a year after the wars' end, the Jedi Civil War erupted between Republican Jedis and the new-found Imperial Jedis, sparking the first solely political schism within the Order, after three years of brutal conflict, Republican Jedis emerged victories from the Battle of Byss after both Raven and Malak defected from the Imperial Jedis and rejoined the Republicans. The surviving Imperial Jedis escaped Republic and entered Imperial Space whereupon they declare their loyalty to Emperor Lelouch and his family, creating the Knights of Terra in the process. While the Jedi have had numerous conflicts over its' history, it has remained a force that no one can truly doubt, and it has remained the Republic defenders for centuries and shall remain for centuries to come. History Organization Leadership Jedi Ranks As the Jedi were instructed in the ways of the Order and of the Force, each member progressed through several different ranks. * Jedi Initiate (or Youngling or "Jedi Hopeful"): The youngest members of the Order, these Force-sensitive children were given the rank of Initiate when they began their communal training in clans. Recruited from worlds throughout the galaxy where blood testing was required upon birth, with the family's permission, Initiates are brought to a Jedi academy for formal training. * Jedi Padawan: After being selected for individual tutelage under a single Jedi Knight or Jedi Master, Initiates were given the title of Padawan; a word derived from the Je'daii Order. Eligible for this rank following the successful completion of the Initiate Trials, Padawans were typically taken at adolescence and completed their training away from the academy. Per tradition, Padawans of a hair-growing species would wear a long braid of hair behind their ear; non-haired Padawans were encouraged to wear a type of jewelry, a tattoo, or other body modification. A Jedi Knight or Jedi Master could have more than one apprentice but more often then not they tend to only have one apprentice at a time. The Padawan had to be promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight before another apprentice could be chosen, a practice that was formalized following the Exar Kun War. Following several unsuccessful attempts at the Initiate Trials or if a student is not chosen by a Master, the Council of Reconciliation would place the student within the Jedi Service Corps. Depending on where the student's talents lay, this might be the Agricultural Corps, the Medical Corps, the Educational Corps or the Exploration Corps. If this role did not suit a particular student, they could choose to leave the Order entirely. * Jedi Knight: Following a period of nearly a decade of one-on-one training with a master, a disciplined Padawan was eligible to attempt the Jedi Trials. Upon successfully completing all tests put forth, a Padawan's braid was severed by the High Council and their life as a Knight began. No longer attached to a master, Knights were free to accept missions from the Council, pursue specialized training on one of the three branches of Knighthood, or take their own Padawan. * Jedi Master: A Knight who showed great understanding of the Force and managed to instruct a Padawan and train them successfully to the level of a Jedi Knight was elevated to the rank of Master by the High Council. Self-declaration of the title was frowned upon and rare practice by the time of the Second Galactic War, but not uncommon during war times or periods of disbandment. Amongst the Order's Masters, only a select few were appointed to one of the Jedi Councils. Made up exclusively of wise, experienced Masters, the Councils of the Order had different levels of membership, ensuring fresh perspectives were expressed as new events occurred. The High Council was made up of 12 masters, five of them holding life terms, four holding long-terms, and three holding short-terms. The elected leader of the Council was known as the Master of the Order and was often bestowed upon the acting Grand Master; the recognized leader of the entire Order. Jedi Service Corps Jedi sub-sects Like all religious organizations, the Jedi is equally as split and fractured, as various sects have emerged with their interruptions of the Force. More often than not, these differences often lead to schisms between the Jedi sects. However, these schisms are rare, as the Order itself is a highly decentralized and the various sects tolerant and even respect one another, as they are all Jedis regardless of their interruptions and views on the Force. But it should be known that the largest and most well known of these various sects are what is described as the Orthodox Jedi, of which largely makes up the Jedi Order found in the Republic. Jedi Code There Is No Light, Without The Dark Through Passion, I Gain Focus Through Knowledge, I Gain Power Through Serenity, I Gain Strength Through Victory, I Gain Harmony There Is Only The Force. - Current Jedi Code The Jedi Code is the central tenant of the Jedi Order, the religious text that serves as guidelines for Jedis to follow, but the code has changed over the numerous centuries since the order's creation. With each version different from each other in some same and form. Jedi are the guardians of peace in the galaxy. Jedi use their powers to defend and protect, never to attack others. Jedi respect all life, in any form. Jedi serve others rather than ruling over them, for the good of the galaxy. Jedi seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training. - Ancient Jedi Code Of course, like all religious texts, the Code has been interrupted in numerous ways, all ranging from one's own takes on the force and what ways one should use it. With some versions of the code being used by one element of the Order then the other, like Odan-Urr's code, which has been widely used by Light-sided fanatics within the Order "There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force." - Odan-Urr's Jedi Code The Code was not necessarily a strict set of rules, but a general set of guidelines that Jedi were encouraged to keep in mind as they went about the business of the Order. Numerous Jedi teachings interpreted and expounded on the Code in subsequent millennia. These rules, created and embraced by the Jedi Masters, were essential tools in a Jedi's growth. In them, Jedi were encouraged to overcome personal obstacles such as pride and materialism, to understand their small yet important place in the galaxy, and to give every being and point of view equal consideration. Locations Coruscant Ossus Dantooine Tython Category:Force-based Organizations Category:Jedi Organizations Category:Galactic Republic Category:Republic Government Category:Republicans Category:Religious Orders Category:Law Enforcement Category:Republic Government Entities Category:Republic Military Units Category:Jedi Culture